WildStyle DaProducer’s love of hip-hop led him to a career managing and promoting local musicians. When a need to create promotional materials for his clients caused WildStyle to pick up a camera, he realized he was a talented photographer and videographer, as well.
“I would pay other photographers to try and take pictures (of my clients), but the pictures I was getting back weren’t pictures that made me excited about hip-hop or the artist. I decided to give it a try and take my own pictures, because I was the one who needed them. I started taking up a real love of photography. I started coming out to as many events as I could and covering them journalistic style, with pictures and videos,” said WildStyle.
After discovering his love for photography, he founded All317hiphop, a blog hosted on Facebook and Instagram that documents Indy’s hip-hop scene. Though All317hiphop has hundreds of followers on social media, he recently shared his work with the public offline for the first time.
WildStyle is the featured artist at a new gallery highlighting the Indianapolis hip-hop scene. The free exhibit is located at the Athenaeum Foundation, 407 E. Michigan St., until Aug. 31.
DeAmon Harges is the curator of the art gallery and one of the founding members of The Learning Tree, an association of neighbors that specializes in asset-based community development, learning and education that improves the quality of life for people, communities, schools and businesses. The Learning Tree helped fund and organize the event in an attempt to invest in a talented member of the community.
“I’m his neighbor. He has so many really creative stories. We invest in our neighbors and things they are already doing, and we raised money to do his exhibit. He is really trying to create photography for change,” said Harges.
WildStyle hopes Hoosiers who come out to the exhibit will be impressed by the talent in our city.
“I think what people are going to see is the passion and dedication in the Indianapolis hip-hop scene,” said WildStyle.
Connect with WildStyle at facebook.com/all317hiphop.
